International Beauty Show Trend Setting

The International Beauty Show held annually at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC has been the standard and most influential beauty show in America for over 70 years. Once held at the famed Coliseum adjacent to Columbus Circle before that building was razed and the Javits Center was built along the shores of the Hudson River, the IBS has brought thousands of hair and beauty professionals together for education and demonstrations.

Photo: Extensions are the biggest trend this year as a once considered form of hair styling used by Afro Americans and Caribbeans is now main streaming to induce all nationalities and races looking to add style and color to any length or texture of hair.

The 2018 show held March 4-6 was once again full of salon professionals seeking to be on top of the latest trends and most recent improvements in the hair and skin care business. A professional show, not open to the public, gathers salon owners and their backbone professional staffers together in a setting full of day long classes and demonstrations. Attendees can purchase merchandise that ranges from hair extensions to dye and salon equipment. Also on sale are scissors, nail polish, make up, blow dryers and much more.

I began covering the IBS while in college in the 1970’s when Clairol and Revlon were the mega corporations and backbone of the show. Today the show is much more diverse with hundreds of exhibitions and suppliers giving the professionals a variety of ideas and knowledge to create hair art and style.

PHOTO: Men’s hair care made a huge splash at the IBS as the days of a quick cut has transformed to a well groomed gentleman appreciates a little primping.

The one new trend that I noticed was the amount of vendors promoting hair extensions. Extensions were once marketed to the Afro American consumer and more recently to the Caribbean customers who want different stylings from their natural hair texture. But what I took from the show is that extensions are good for all men and women, and their use can make for all types of lengths and styles, and color. Extensions can add color while leaving your natural hair color intact. I recommend that  if you are a salon professional, you should definitely attend next year’s show!

In photo: Post Eagle national reporter Jim Dombrowski